Hammer Stradivarius

The Hammer Stradivarius was an antique violin made during Stradivari‘s golden years between 1700 to 1725. The 1707 Stradivarius was also auctioned at a world-record price in 2006 at Christie’s, at US$3.544 million, to an anonymous bidder.

The Stradivarius received its name “Hammer” from a 19th century Swedish collector, Christian Hammer, who is also the first recorded owner of the violin.

Since then, the Hammer Stradivarius has changed hands with several owners. However, the anonymous bidder who bought it at the world-record price made the sale through the telephone. Prior to being sold, the previous owner bought it in 1992, but also declined to be named.

The million-dollar Hammer Stradivarius has been loaned to violinists for orchestral performance. One of them includes Kyoko Takezawa, a highly sought-after soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras.

The US$3.544 million price tag of the Hammer Stradivarius toppled the record US$2.032 million price fetched by fellow Stradivarius, “The Lady Tennant” in 2005.